I can see how this land can be beautiful. The birds come in so many colors it looks like a rainbow, there are monkeys, cats, and even little frogs, every creature complementing the other in a symphony of the sounds. Life radiates from these trees, from the rivers that wind their way through the land, each filled with delicate fish and colorful lizards.

  It is a beautiful place, but it is most definitely not my place.

  In addition to the many sweet creatures and the gorgeous, skyscraping trees, I’ve almost died more times than I can count. The random pools of quicksand, doing their best to drown me. The occasional flesh hungry snake, which always takes a year off of my life. And don’t even get me started on the bugs, sinking their teeth into me as if I’m a walking buffet.

  I don’t know what's worse, the massive welts that are now covering my flesh, or the way they feel like fire on my skin. It doesn’t help that it's a bajillion degrees and so humid I can barely breathe.

  I’ve started to think I’ll never find my way out of this damn jungle, least of all alive. I need to find shelter before the Sun sets, the stories of Piandra after dark have definitely made me quicken my step. Beasts larger and more terrifying than anything I could imagine live here, either created by Varkashi or turned villain after his takeover.

  A sudden wave of terror washes over my skin, the markings across my body coming alive and buzzing as much as the many bugs. My body shudders as it fights the urge to help the other side of the bond, something I never know how to process.

  It’s the strangest feeling. My body, my soul, recognizing something, someone, I have never seen for myself.

  I glance down at the markings and have to double take. I would swear on my life that they aren’t as dark as before. They’ve been pitch black my entire life, like tattoo ink, but since I last checked, the color has grown significantly lighter.

  Dragging my sleeve up, my eyes bore into the Moon shaped imprint and I know I’m not seeing things. The crescent used to sit just under the crease of my elbow, but it’s now hovering two inches above it. Perplexed, I allow the clothing to fall back into place.

  There’s too much going on right now, and honestly, I don’t have the energy to process that at the moment. I think I’m running on adrenaline alone. My wounds are near debilitating, making me wince with each pained step I take. It’ll be a miracle if I make it out of these trees. Not that I would know what to do if I did. But I suppose finding someone to answer my questions is a good start. I have well over a thousand swirling like a cyclone.

  The thought of truly being in Hythalla is something that only part of me believes. Yes, the kraj was solid evidence, but the thought seems absolutely mental. But it’s still something that in the back of my mind, a place I’m pushing far, far away, I know is the truth. Denial is the only thing I’m running on at this point. Because if everything in my book was true…and the esha took my mom all those years ago…maybe she could be here.

  It’s a fool's hope, I know it is, but it’s all I have right now. Besides, until I meet an actual fae, I won’t believe anything. Maybe the monsters in the book are based on truth, ancient beings who are rare but real, and everything else was just a fairytale made to explain them.

  The smell of rain begins to sweep into the forest, and I can’t help but relish the delightful scent, and the prime distraction.

  Looking up at the specks of sky above, I’m met with gloomy, brooding clouds. The jungle is already so dark I hardly noticed the storm rolling in.

  Thunder and lightning crack across the sky, allowing me a moment of white light before I begin to feel the soft patter of rain dripping down the uncountable leaves above. Good gods, how did it start so fast? What begins as a dribble turns into an all out downpour in the time it took me to finish my thought.

  I can’t even see my hands with how treacherous this rain has become. Now what do I do? If I try to keep moving, I could very well walk right into the mouth of any number of creatures, or find myself back in some quicksand with no way to pull myself out. But I need to find shelter, especially if night is falling. If I can find one, that is.

  ? ? ?

  I mean seriously, how much rain is there in this world? Since there’s no Sun to make a judgment, I have absolutely no clue how much time has passed or what time it is now. All I know is that my life has become rain. Just rain. All I see is rain. All I feel is rain. I’ve begun to think I am just rain. Will I ever find my way out? No. Because I am rain.

  Truly, I have lost my mind. The lack of blood doesn’t help, nor does the aching of my torn flesh and welted skin.

  I begin to make my way up what I think is a large, steep hill covered with the biggest monstera leaves I have ever seen, and I actually make it about halfway up before my feet give out and the mud sends me flying down the slippery slope.

  I’m picking up speed ridiculously fast, rolling like a log, desperately reaching for anything in my vicinity. But there's no use, everything is slick from the storm.

  I must be reaching the bottom of the hill, but instead of slowing down, I merely continue to hurdle down the slope and into what must be an underground tunnel. The only reason I’m so sure I’m underground is because I can no longer feel the rain that had been succeeding in smothering me for only the Mother knows how long. And then- CRASH!

  That was a wall. A very flat wall. My head is ringing like a bell. I must have reached the end of the tunnel, but I still can’t see anything. I begin to move onto my knees but pause. Is it better to stay down here or try to get back out there?

  All I can really think about is sleep. Especially with how mutilated my body is. I’m going to need the rest if I have any hope of recovering.

  This may be the most idiodic decision I’ve made yet, but the exhaustion is so strong that I can’t help myself from drifting off to sleep. Besides, here seems as good of a place as any. I may as well take my chances in this hole and just hope it doesn’t belong to some starving creature.

  I collapse onto the squishy ground, somehow far more comfortable than the bed at the compound. Without another thought, unconsciousness whisks me away into the deepest sleep I’ve experienced in nearly ten years.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  ? ? ?

  Dreams haven’t been easy for me since the esha destroyed my family. Each night my mind drags me back to that day. Which is why I’m entirely surprised it brought me somewhere I’ve never been before. A home. A lovely home, in fact.

  This place is warm and comforting, inviting and familiar. There’s a pink fire crackling in a large fireplace and I rush over to warm my hands. Mother above, that feels amazing. The plush rug beneath my feet is delightful, too. Soft and- moss? It’s made of moss. How strange.

  I look around the home. Plants grow out of every corner, the walls are covered in blooming flowers and twisting green vines, even the lights above are truly just avi -small winged creatures who emit a soft glow- twinkling amongst the ceiling. I think my favorite part is the staircase, though. The gorgeous wooden spiral makes its way through the ceiling and to what must be the second floor, the bars on both sides entirely covered in fruit bearing vines.

  “Hey, Dell, mind helping us get some water boiling for dinner?” A chipper voice asks from behind where I ogle at the comforting home.

  I whip my head around and am met with the most beautiful face I have ever seen. She’s absolutely jaw dropping. Her hair is platinum silver and straight as an arrow, each strand looking so smooth it could be silk as it curves just under her jaw. Her skin is the most incredible shade of brown, so dark it seems to gleam. If that wasn’t enough, she has two incredible, white feathered wings that are tipped in a magnificent shade of magenta that perfectly matches the color of her irises. She’s absolutely breathtaking. And based on her wings, she must be from Harensia.

  “Delphine?” She says slowly, her perfect, silver eyebrows bunching.

  “Um,” I stutter, “sorry, do I know you?”

  The goddess snorts and rolls her eyes, “Very funny, now come on, before I have to ask Zoren to heat the water. You know how he gets.” She rolls her eyes.

  A tall figure bursts through the back door and my eyes widen at his appearance, “Vel, what’s taking so long, didn’t you find her yet? Oh, Dell, what are you waiting for? We’re starving out here, and you know Mak, if we wait to feed him for too much longer he’s going to eat all of us out of spite.”

  The boy- no, the man is beyond handsome. He’s tall with shaggy, brown hair, golden eyes shine gloriously beneath the soothing light, and his skin is so pale it’s almost like snow. He too has gorgeous, feathered wings, though his are black as the night and tinted with wonderful greens and blues. He must be from Vermah.

  The man eyes the girl he called Vel, “Is she alright? Or do I get to smack her?”

  Vel shrugs, her magnificent hair swishing like a waterfall as she cocks her head to the side, “You alright, Dell? You look like you’ve seen a spirit.”

  Who are these people and why do I feel so…comfortable with them? It’s like I know them, but I would bet my life that I’ve never seen them before.

  “ZOREN!” A deep, booming voice hollers from the backyard.

  Less than a second later, the mountainous figure of the largest man I have ever seen strides in through the beautifully carved, wooden door.

  He’s the tallest person in the room by a mile, he must be close to seven feet. His hair is raven black, and shaved at the sides with intricate markings while the rest is cut short. He’s handsome too, though it’s in more of a rugged I-will-tear-you-apart kind of way, but not even his massive muscles make me nervous. For some reason I get the impression he’s got a kind soul and loves to laugh.

  “What could possibly be the hold up, we’re all complaining out here!” He booms heartily.

  “No we’re not!” The cackling voice of a girl sounds from outside.

  “Don’t bring us into your needy bullshit, Mak!” A man calls out.

  The massive man throws his middle finger behind his back before coming to a stop on the other side of Vel, his feet triple the size of her delicate, magenta slippers.

  The brown haired boy who must be Zoren sighs, “Don’t eat me, Mak, we found her.”

  Mak glares at Zoren and plants his hands on his hips before turning to me, “Well, chop chop. I’m absolutely famished.”

  Vel snorts between the two men who tower over her like the trees that had once covered me, “You ate an hour ago.”

  “So,” Mak shoots an exasperated look at her, “who’s to say I won’t die of hunger anyway? Not like any of you care, some friends you are.”

  “Always a crybaby.” Zoren shoves his hands into his pockets, the picture of composure.

  “Sorry,” I interrupt their bickering, “who exactly are you people?”

  They all stare at me as if I’ve lost my mind, but it’s a boy with clean cut, silver hair who answers for them as he saunters his way down the large, spiral staircase, “What a pity, all of you are so incredibly boring that she doesn’t remember who you are, even after all this time.” This third man is also beautiful. Is everyone in this dream gorgeous?

  The silver haired boy is also quite tall, though not nearly as massive as the boulder they call Mak. His skin is just as fair as Zorens, but his sparkles under the lights as if he was made of ice. Even his eyes are such a cool blue they seem glacial. He appears rather serious, like he’s the wisest of the group. Seems like he thinks so too, but I can tell there's a sense of humor underneath all of that…iciness.

  This is a weird dream. It feels more real than any other I’ve had in my life, almost like a memory. But this has definitely never happened to me before.

  “How do you know my name?”

  The boy with silver hair glances at the three who are observing me like I’m the one out of place here. If I wasn’t so sure this was all happening inside my head, I would agree.

  “You know, the whole escaping every monster that tries to kill us, tracking down the artifacts, bringing back Hythalla thing? It’s kinda your whole deal, your Earthliness. We’re all here because of this. Because of you.” Mak raises an eyebrow as he crosses his massive, muscled arms over his even bigger, muscled chest, “Don’t tell me you’re backing out now.”

  “What? I’m not- I’m not trying to do any of that.” I take a step back.

  “Dell,” the magenta eyed beauty lifts her hands slowly, “Are you ok? It’s me. It’s Miravelia. From the palace.”

  I take another step back, slowly inching closer to the fireplace, my heels less than an inch from touching the tall flames.

  “And Zoren, he escaped with us too. You have to remember…” Vel continues, taking a slow step towards me, her elegant hands outstretched before her.

  Heat builds at my ankles, and I look over my shoulders to look at the flames that have begun to nip at my feet. The next thing I know, my eyes are flying open and I find myself back in the tunnel I fell asleep in what could have been hours ago.

  I bolt upright and scurry backwards, frantically looking between the only exit out of this tunnel, and the two figures who are now huddled around a fire. One of them is a large dog, too large, bigger than a wolf. When did they get here? How long have I been out?

  The dog tilts his head to the side, his ears flopping as he looks at me with incredibly human eyes.

  “Who are you?” I gasp, desperately trying to slow my galloping heart, my hand already hovering over the last knife hugging my thigh.

  The figure slowly removes his hood, and I nearly stop breathing when I see his face.

  His familiar silver hair seems to reflect with the flickering light of the fire as he glares at me over his long, straight nose.

  “I think the better question is why a human is here, and how she found her way to our den.”